STORY

Isabelle is a college student living in Chicago, far from home for the first time in her life. She works at a trendy restaurant with her friend, Renée, and has a burgeoning romance with Tyler, a classmate. One night, Isabelle is snatched by a serial killer and held captive in his home with another victim, Lucy. As her friends and family begin to worry in her absence, Isabelle discovers a mysterious ability to project herself outside of her prison. She uses this ability to communicate with Tyler and Renée, and they try to piece together Isabelle’s clues and find her alive. But time is running out.

CREW

Photo: Mae Moreno

STEPHANIE JETER

Writer/Director, Producer

Stephanie is a filmmaker residing in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating with the help of a writing scholarship from DePaul University’s film program, Stephanie has spent the past nine years freelancing on various studio films and network TV shows. With the practical skills she’s acquired, Stephanie has returned to her creative roots as a speculative and mystery storyteller, taking bold steps forward in telling fresh narratives with new perspectives. In addition to Searching for Isabelle, she is currently developing feature-length, television, and short form projects.

MARIANNE GRECO

Producer

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Illinois (Chicago), Marianne Greco has been active in the film industry for 15 years. She’s worked with many prestigious film and television productions like WTTW and Kartemquin Films. As a sales person for Fletcher Camera and then Barbizon Lighting, she helped customers transition to emerging new technologies in production. “I embraced Searching For Isabelle because I love the story, the social message and the filmmaker’s creative vision.”

DEREK LEE MCPHATTER

Producer

Recent highlights include semifinalist placement in the 2015 Disney Writing Program, a nomination for the 2014 Fox Writing Program, and a 2012 Fellowship in the Guy Hanks and Marvin Miller Screenwriting Program at the University of Southern California. He co-created the web-series – She’s Out of Order – with his collaborators at Under the Spell Productions, Inc. The show has been covered in Shadow and Act and was an award-winning selection at The Los Angeles Web Series Festival in 2015. Please visit his webpage for more.

Photo: Joe Martinez Jr.

CHRISTIAN MEJIA

Cinematographer

Christian’s fascination with filmmaking did not grow out of a love for cinema but rather a yearning to tell stories. Having spent most summers as a child in rural Mexico, his aunts and uncles inadvertently imbued a certain style in him of interpreting and retelling events that inspired wonder and excitement in their listeners. As a cinematographer, Christian hopes to use that influence to create striking images that invoke emotion in his viewers. Hailing from the windy city, he earned his Bachelor’s of Arts in Film & Video at Columbia College Chicago. There, he adopted a school of thought that emphasizes story-driven cinematography that is based on emotive lighting and deliberate camera movement.

CAST

CHARLEE MARIE COTTON

Charlee Marie Cotton is a Chicago-based film and theater actress born in Evanston, Illinois. At the age of 11 she started taking classes at Northlight Theater Academy. She continued to work professionally throughout high school and college starring in various theater productions and short films. Upon graduating she has attended various improvisational/acting schools such as Second City and Green Shirt Studios and starred in television shows such as NBC’s Chicago PD and professional theaters throughout Chicago including Haclyon Theater, The Blind Owl, and Red Theater.

AIDA DELAZ

Aida Delaz was born in Spain to Cuban parents but was raised in Southern California. Thanks to this she is multicultural and bi-lingual. A recent DePaul graduate, (BFA Acting/ BA Spanish) Aida is overjoyed to be a part of the Searching for Isabelle cast. During her free time she serves as a language tutor for young adults, reads comic books, works her stage makeup skills and writes solo pieces.

GAGE WALLACE

Gage Wallace is an actor and poet working out of Chicago. He is a proud Founding and Company Member with Red Theater Chicago where he also serves as the Casting Director. He has had the fortune to have worked with many incredible theatre companies in Chicago including Irish Theatre of Chicago, Mary Arrchie Theatre Co., Trap Door, Strawdog Theatre, and RTC. As a performance poet, Gage has been seen on regional and national stages.

STEPHANIE STOCKSTILL

Stephanie is a graduate of Northwestern University’s opera and musical theatre programs and has been acting in and around Chicago ever since. She is so excited to be part of this striking, powerful film (one of her first professional projects in the genre!) and very thankful to Stephanie Jeter and the whole Searching team.

JOSHUA J. VOLKERS

Joshua J. Volkers is a member of the Raven Theatre ensemble and has been seen in their productions of The Birdfeeder Doesn’t Know, Sherlock Holmes, and Bang the Drum Slowly as well as the upcoming Not About Nightingales. Additionally, his theatre credits include Watch on the Rhine at The Artistic Home, Chapter Two at Windy City Playhouse, Rites and Sacrifices at Idle Muse Theatre, Changes of Heart at Remy Bumppo Theatre, and Black Diamond at Lookingglass Theatre.